Mother Says Son Died After Rationing Insulin, Now She Fights to Lower Prices

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A mother from Minnesota is fighting to lower the price of insulin after a devastating loss just last year, KARE reports .

Nicole Smith-Holt said she lost her 26-year-old son, Alec, from diabetic ketoacidosis last year. She said he’d been rationing his insulin due to the high cost of the drug.

Alec aged out of his parents’ insurance coverage June 1, 2017, according to KARE. She said with no insurance, his medical costs would have been about $2,000 per month.

“He was actually found dead in his apartment on June 27,” said Smith-Holt. “So he lasted 27 days not being covered.”

Saturday, Smith-Holt rallied with other families at the Minnesota Capitol in an effort to lower the price of insulin and to encourage more transparency from pharmaceutical companies regarding how much it costs to make the drugs they sell.

“I should be with my son,” she said. “I should not have had to bury him at such a young age. No parent should have to bury their children.”